CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Dave Rice tells a story about Anthony Bennett, a story that should make fans feel good about the Cavaliers' top draft pick.

"It was right before the season when I talked to Anthony about playing center," said the UNLV head coach. "He was just a freshman, and he hadn't even played center at Findlay Prep." Bennett was a 6-8 power forward for one of the nation's best high-school programs.

"He was a McDonald's All-American, a top-10 player in the country," said Rice. "Most kids like that are worried about what position they will play in the NBA. He really just said he'd do whatever would help the team -- he just wanted to play."

UNLV had a center named Khem Birch, who had to sit out the first 10 games after transferring from Pitt. Birch was part of the reason that Bennett picked UNLV. Both are from Canada and knew each other from the elite summer basketball leagues.

In the eighth game of the season, Bennett scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Rebels won, 76-75, at California. He did it as an undersized center.

"That was the game where I knew Anthony would probably be one-and-done," said Rice, meaning Bennett would play only one season before turning pro.

Bennett the person

During a half-hour interview, Rice said at least three times that "Anthony is a genuine, quality person -- and that's not just coach-talk. He is a great kid."

Rice said Bennett was his first recruit after being hired at UNLV in April of 2011. Findlay Prep is in Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas. Former UNLV graduate assistant coach Todd Simon was Findlay's coach. So Bennett was exposed to UNLV often during his two years at the school. When Birch transferred to UNLV, Bennett wanted to join him.

Cavs forward Tristan Thompson also played at Findlay, which has a 157-8 record over the last five seasons. Findlay had seven players receive Division I scholarships this season, and plays a national schedule.

Rice's point is that between being a McDonald's All-American and playing for an elite basketball prep school which led to being recruited by nearly all of the nation's premier programs, Bennett could easily have an overblown sense of entitlement.

"He's very grounded," said Rice. "He's a 'Yes, sir ... No, sir' kid. His mom [Edith] did a super job with him, and I can tell you that the Cavs will be getting a player who is a great teammate and wants to do the right thing."

Rice paused, then said, "I really think you either are a good teammate, or you're not. It's hard to teach."

Once Birch was eligible, Bennett moved to power forward. He averaged 16.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and shot .533 from the field in 28 minutes a game.

Bennett the player

His stats could have been higher, but he played only four minutes at Wyoming, when he hurt his shoulder. In the next game, he played 17 minutes, scoring one point while dealing with the injury.

"He wanted to keep playing," said Rice. "He missed 19 games [with injuries] in his senior year at Findlay Prep, and he was determined to play all 35 games for us."

Bennett had several strong games at the end of the season. He scored 15 points and 11 rebounds when UNLV was knocked out of the NCAA tournament in its first game by California.

By mid-season, Rice said he sensed Bennett would be a top-five pick. The Cavs were at several practices and games. Once the Cavs won the lottery's top pick, the coach knew Bennett had a chance to go No. 1. He said Cavs assistant GM David Griffith "spent at least three days in town, talking to everyone he could about Anthony. The Cavs did their homework."

Rice played on the great UNLV teams of 1989-91, where Larry Johnson was the star.

"Comparing Anthony to Larry Johnson is fair, but only if you realize Larry played four years of college [two in junior college, two at UNLV]," said Rice. "But Anthony has that kind of talent. He can rebound. He can score in the post. He can shoot the jumper. He can run the floor and handle the ball. He's extremely athletic. His skill level is very high."

Patience needed

Rice said that Bennett's defense does need work, "but that's true of about every 19 year old who plays only one year in college."

Rice was Bennett's third coach in four years. He was a sophomore at Mount State Academy in Beckley, W.Va., followed by two years at Findlay Prep then one year of college. Switching high schools is now common for many top players.

"Anthony has to do a better job on defense, and he knows that," said Rice. But he objects to comments that his team ignored defense. The Rebels ranked No. 1 in rebounding, and No. 2 in defensive field goal percentage in the Mountain West Conference.

"He'll be playing for Mike Brown, a great defensive coach," said Rice. "Coach Brown will get Anthony to defend. He can do it."

Like Brown, Rice believes Bennett should start his pro career as a power forward. At some point, "I do think he can defend [small forwards]. He does have the lateral quickness to do it."

He paused again.

"I'm telling you that Anthony is good enough to score in the NBA right now," he said. "There are a lot of 'Wow' moments with Anthony, as [Cavs GM] Chris Grant said."

Bennett had rotator cuff surgery in May. He expects to be ready for training camp. Bennett weighed 240 at the end of the season, and was near 260 at the time of the draft.

"He'll work hard on his conditioning and his rehabilitation," said Rice. "He's still 19. He's still maturing. But he's about the right things."

Then Rice mentioned how Bennett remained in school until the end of the spring semester, even though he knew he'd be entering the draft.

"Most kids just drop out after the season when they are going into the draft," said Rice. "But he wanted to finish, and that says something good about him. If the Cavs are patient, they will end up with a terrific player and a young man with high character."

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